Pre-Colombian Art Museum, Santiago

Museum of pre-Hispanic Art. "With over 700 exhibits, this is the country’s most important collection of pre-Hispanic artwork. This fine museum houses thousands of relics from such diverse cultures as the Mayans, Aztecs, and the Mapuches from southern Chile. Just off the bustling Alameda – the city’s main thoroughfare – lies the delightful Barrio Concha y Toro neighborhood, with its charming plaza and Colonial architecture."
Most of the items are from the personal collection of Sergio Larrain Garcia-Moreno and are stored in the Royal Customs House. Items from the indigenous peoples from Mexico to Patagonia are included.

Santiago Cathedral

Photos of the inside of the baroque interior of the Cathedral with the line of arches, stain-glass windows and including the Silver altar. The catedral has been at this location since 1541.

"Palacio de La Moneda" - Presidential Palace in Santiago

the administrative and governmental heart of the city -the Palacio de La Moneda Presidential Palace. Originally a colonial mint, it was designed by Italian architect Joaquín Toesca and opened in 1805 while still under construction. While the Palace served as presidential residence between 1845 and 1930, today it houses the offices of the President and three Cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secretariat of the Government. Note the Presidental guards

Colonial Santiago - Plaza de Armas

Plaza de Armas, the city’s most famous square surrounded by some beautiful buildings including the impressive Cathedral. A monument of the conquistador Pedro de Valdivia on horseback. Locals playing chess. The Plaza is a lively center of the old town.

Statues of Indigenous peoples - Plaza da Armas, Santiago

Monuments to the indigenous peoples are found in the Plaza da Armas as well as colonial architecture. "Broken Indian" monument. Mapachue Statues.

Chef Maria Jose Neut cooks for us in her home in Santiago

This was one of the neatest things to do! We went to the market and made several selections - then went back to Maria Jose's home for a lovely lunch! We started with a pisco sour - one of South America's favorite drinks.
The food was great but the highlight was being in her home and seeing her beautiful little boy and also meeting her husband.

Tasting Dinner Menu:
Scallop in a creamy sauce
Chupe de Mariscos - mixed seafood gratine
Chuchoca - Potatoes with dry corn
Lamb chop with corn and basil pure
Dessert:
Rice with Milk and Papaya
Manjar Parfait

Mercado Central with Chef Mara Jose

We enjoyed a taste of Santiago experience with Chef Maria Jose - "culinary experience that invites lovers of fine dining and wines to develop their senses on South American gastronomy specially discovering among different flavours of Chile. Spend time tasting the city with Chef María José, who studied culinary art in Santiago, Chile. Later she went to explore new cultures and discover exotic flavours in Asia and Middle East acquiring a unique experience. Today she invites you to share having a taste of Chilean products."
This morning tour was set up by A & K. Maria Jose picks us up at the hotel. We then traveled to "Central Market" - an endless selection of "creatures of the sea". The market was a former train station built around 1868.

Arriving in Santiago, Chile - view from San Cristobal Hill

We traveled from the Casablanca Valley to Santiago through the Zapata tunnel on modern highway 78. A wonderful view point for the city is San Cristobal Hill - Its original indigenous name was Tupahue. It was named by the Spanish conquistadors for St Christopher, in recognition of its use as a landmark.

At the peak, there is a church with an amphitheater, and a 22 meter statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary donated by France in the 1920s. Pope John Paul II gave mass there in 1987. The spot is a superb location from which to view the city.

"Santiago, capital city of Chile- Set in a ring of spectacular mountain peaks, the city was founded in 1541 by Spanish Captain Pedro de Valdivia and is nestled some 2,000 feet above sea level in Chile’s great central Maipo valley. With five million inhabitants and a finely developed economy, Santiago offers all the amenities and excitement of any modern capital city but unlike most others, is blessed with a Mediterranean climate."

More wine and wonderful lunch at Loma Larga Vineyard

Lovely lunch! Beautiful vineyard! Caroline has a new friend - the golden retriever was happy for a bite from our table!

Wine tasting at Loma Larga, Casablanca Region, Chile

By this time we were much more familiar with the techniques of wine making in Chile. However - we were still enjoy drinking the wines! Darrell and Elaine with Robert and Caroline from Canada.

Chardonnay - This pale gold wine begins his optimal consumption period, thanks to developments in flavones bottle aromas delivering milk to the "brioche", dear to the Chardonnay. The fresh fruit is omnipresent: first in the nose (pear, white flowers) and then in the mouth (papaya, peach). The finish is long and acid, reflecting the great terroir of Casablanca.

Quinento - The wine has a great intense and astonishing brilliant cherry red colour, with smooth violet-carmin reflects. The powerful nose is intense on the oaky animal side, but then brings crunchy cherry, wild raspberry and evolutes on fresh young blackberries. The mouth is rich, amazingly well balanced between freshness and roundness, mixing the softly spicy oak to the consistent freshness of this wonderful assemblage.

Cabernet Franc - An intense dark ink color, with violet and carmine hints. The nose is very intense, flowery and juicy, with straight notes of rose petals, juicy liquorice and a touch of toasted in the ending. The mouth is ample and very juicy, more mineral and spicy, starting with liquorice and graphite aromas, underlined by a very pleasant rosebud taste. The long and complex finish brings soft notes of yellow peach, mango and mocha. Drink now or enjoy at its peak, in 2013.
Loma Larga: www.lomalarga.com

Loma Larga Winery - Casablanca Valley, Chile

Loma Larga winery tour and tasting: Our friends - Robert and Caroline from Canada share the tour. We have left Matetic and have started our trip to Santiago.

This is boutique winery features: To get the highest quality wine, the harvest is done in the early hours of the day or by night. The vines are harvested in 10-kilos baskets in order to receive small batches of grapes into the winery and ensure the best selection as possible. The 2,300 square meters winery produces only a maximum of 300,000 litres of wine. The majority (70%) of our stainless steel tanks have a capacity of 5,000 litres. The winery is surrounded by an ancient park. The antique farm country house is used as an office and event room for visitors.

The winery has an ample underground barrel room, maintained a constant temperature and humidity, where the wine is aged in 100% French oak barrels. (info from: Loma Larga)

Superbowl Game - from Chile (in Spanish)

We met the nicest couple - Robert and Carolina Gregory from Canada also staying at Matetic Vina Casona and taking almost the same Abercrombie & Kent tour. They had also been on the Oceania Cruise - but our paths had not crossed. We shared dinner with them the first night at Matetic.

Of course - we had to watch the Super Bowl!! Robert and Darrell made arrangements with the hotel to set up a special room for us to watch the game. We were able to watch the game on a Spanish channel - through ESPN. The broadcast was in English but all other commentary was in Spanish. (We missed the commercials - but saw the game!) Carolina and Robert provided the bar!! Wonderful evening!!

Alpacas at the Matetic Winery

It was fun to watch a herd of alpacas grazing just below the Matetic Winery. They had just been sheared and were a little leary of the strange visitors. After grabbing some wonderful clover to share - they were a little more eager to come closer. The small baby was just tooo cute.

Views of Matetic Vineyard, Chile

Matetic

Family owned and operated, established in 1999, Matetic is a biodynamic winery located in Rosario Valley, a subdivision of San Antonio Valley, 120 kilometers from Santiago between Casablanca and San Antonio. Owned and operated by Jorge Matetic, General Manager, and Cristian Matetic, Production Manager, with winemaker, Paula Cardenas.
The winery is situated in San Antonio Valley, the ideal climatic and topographic conditions for both red and white wines, two distinct types of soil in the valley:

•On the hillsides, the soil is red-brick in color, thin, with a superficial 30-40 cm layer of clay and decomposed granite below.
•On the flat sections of the valley, the soil composition is a deeper layer of granite, red clay on top, and over this, a layer of darker colored soil.
•First winery in Chile to plant Syrah in a cool climate area.
•Total of 120 hectares in D.O. San Antonio and Casablanca.
•Hand picked and estate bottled - all wines are made with Matetic Vineyards grapes only.
•The EQ stands for Equilibrium...balance - the focus of this line the balance of the vineyards, the winemaking and the environment.

Matetic Winery - the wines!

Since we were guests at the vineyard, we tasted their reserve wines!

"Matetic EQ Sauvignon Blanc - This wine is a pale yellow color, with subtle green highlights. On the nose, there are aromas of asparagus mixed with some fruits such as pineapple, peaches and mangoes. Floral aromas can also be distinguished, of vanilla and soft minerals. The mouth is delicate and balanced, with no one taste...

Matetic Corralillo Syrah 2008Syrah/Shiraz - This Syrah has a deep red color with purple tints. Its aromas and flavors reminds on one side of leather, pepper, coffee and chocolate, without stopping the fruitiness at the same time, showing off cherry jam, black fruits and subtle mentholated hints. A wine with concentration, rounded tannins..." Wine.com

Matetic Winery - state of the art in winemaking!

Our entire Matetic Vineyard experience was first class. The visit to the state of the art winery - built into the hillside was so impressive!
"Vina Matetic, which straddles the border between the Casablanca valley and the adjacent San Antonio valley, may take the prize for the region's most stunning bodega. Set into a ridge overlooking vines on both sides, it resembles a futuristic bunker worthy of a James Bond villain, with sloping passageways revealing glimpses into the barrels stored below. A couple of kilometers away, the winery's octagonal restaurant looks out over beautifully manicured gardens, in the middle of which is a recently restored guest house with seven elegantly decorated rooms." Fodor's